Someone once told me, "If you don't know where you're from, you don't know where you're going."
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| Victoria Memorial- Kolkata |
I have been wanting to write about this topic for years now. I've often imagined myself as an author whose book about her hyphenated-culture has become a New York Times Bestseller. But the truth is, no matter how many times I try to write about this, I will never be able to put into words how beautiful it is to be an Indian-American.
I was born in India, Calcutta to be specific. Calcutta, or Kolkata, how Bengalis pronounce it, is my second home. I go there every alternate year during the summer time, and each time I go there, I learn something new. I also get the opportunity to spend time with my extended family. I look forward to that all the time because I know how much they love me, how much I mean to them, and how much I love them too. Every time I go to Kolkata, I wish I didn't have to come back.
I can't describe how beautiful my city is. It's very different than the Bay Area, which is a given obvious. From the outside, it doesn't look very appealing. The traffic is crazy, the heat is unbearable, and the mosquitos....they suck, literally. The bathrooms are different too, which had always been an issue when I was younger. But there are things about Kolkata that you will never be able to forget.
For a simple beginning, the food. Wow. Every time I go to Kolkata, I make sure to always get biriyani from Arsalaan. And it's not only restaurant food. The food cooked at home is amazing too. Bengali people love their fish, which isn't my personal favorite. But there's a great variety to our food that sets it apart from the typical American BigMac and fries. And even more than the amazing taste of Bengali food, it's the way it is cherished. When I go to India, my grandmas, aunts... everyone puts in an effort to cook for me. We, Bengali people, celebrate with food, it's a way of expressing ourselves. There's different foods for different occasions, like payesh for birthdays and khichdi for religious ceremonies. The mangoes my grandpa brings me from the local bazaar celebrate the season. And even everyday meals are special, like my grandmas' occasional posto or chhana. And at the end of every meal, a sweet mishti. There's probably infinite types of sweets in India. Different sweets stores have their own style, and they're famous all over the world. Even though food might not seem that important, I think our food really brings us together as a family and closer to our culture.
Secondly, what I love about Kolkata is my opportunity to see and go places. There's lots of places I've been to from Kolkata, like the beaches Digha and Mondarmoni. But the city itself is a great beauty to me. The winding roads, thousands of little shops and markets, the rickshaws and autos that fill the streets, they're all so very different from everything I'm used to. When I go to Kolkata, I barely spend any time in the house. I'm usually out with my uncles, and they drive me anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes even without a destination. And on those drives, I've seen things that change my life. Many of them are beautiful sights, like the Victoria Memorial lit up with green and red lights at night. Or the sunset from Howrah Bridge over the Ganga river. But I've also learned a lot from the things I've seen. I've seen miles of villages that have no electricity or running water, where people live in straw and mud huts. I've had beggars pull at my feet for money, and seen little children sleeping on rugs on the streets. These images are powerful; I can't convey their message through words. I've learnt from them how lucky I am to be living the life I am.
But, despite the stereotypes, India isn't covered in poor villages and hungry children. In fact, there are many big cities and industries in India. Kolkata itself is a huge city, and it is being industrialized even further everyday with tall office and flat buildings. There's great malls there, like Mani Square and the City Centres. Which brings me to my next topic- Shopping! On every holiday, it's always a must to wear new clothes. And Indian clothes are beautiful, the majestic women's saris, salwar kameezes, and the men's panjabis and sherwanis. Whether you're at a small marketplace, or a big shopping mall, the clothes will always dazzle you. On my trips to Kolkata, each of my family members buy me new clothes. For me, Indian clothes are another way for me to show my desi pride, and to be closer to my culture.
The last thing, maybe the most important thing I'd like to write about Kolkata would be the people. Like I said before, I go to India to spend time with my family. We're closely knit together. Some of my family members live in joint-families, while others live separately. Either way, the family bonds play a huge role in every day life. Our family is our everything; it is our support, our pride, our traditions, everything. No matter what, I know that I will always have my family with me. And that's what I love about Indian culture. Our family is such a big part of our life, we are never alone. For me, there is no such things as an "extended family". Each member is as close to me as the others; we are all bonded together, despite the fact that we are across the world from each other.
What I love about the people in Kolkata even more is their ability to build relations with others, even past families. The bonds between neighbors, friends, schoolmates are unbreakable. Everyone in the neighborhood seem to be friends. People gather all over the streets to chat in the evenings, and neighbors always drop by unexpectedly. Gatherings take place every weekend. In simple words, people love people. They love to be with people, to share their happiness, as well as their sorrows. Bonds are created easily and last forever. That's what I love about Kolkata.
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| Golden Gate Bridge- San Francisco Photo Taken By Shirsha Basu |
The Bay Area. San Francisco. My Home. I won't go into much detail about living in America, because that's probably something my audience (???) is familiar with. But I will briefly say that, I consider myself extremely fortunate to be living in a place like this. Everyone knows California, The Bay, West Coast represent, etc. etc. etc. Yeah, there's famous beaches, Hollywood, the Golden Gate Bridge, and much much more. But there's even more to that. Growing up here (and thanks to my wonderful parents), I've always had a great place to live, access to education, and everything I need. If I didn't live here, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't speak English like I do, I wouldn't dress this way, act this way. I wouldn't have my wonderful school, or the friends that I can't live without. I wouldn't have the beautiful city-skyline view from the Bay Bridge, or the "Wild 94.9 The Bay's Hit Hop-Hop Music Station" that I'm always listening to. I wouldn't be living in The Silicon Valley, and I wouldn't be inspired to try to become a software engineer someday.
If I didn't bore you with all this, I'm hoping I was able to show you how my hyphenated-culture has shaped me as a person. I am, who I am today, because of my Indian-American background. There's probably a thousand things I could/should/would have written about in here, but like I said before, I can never find the right words.
In response to the quote from the very beginning of this post, I'd like to say- I am proud of who I am. I am proud of where I come from. I am proud to be Shirsha Basu, a hyphenated Indian-American.
